Vancouver’s 12-year-old Rickie Wang hopes to score a hit with new song Troublemaker
Check out this Vancouver Sun article by Stuart Derdeyn about Rickie Wang, who is a former student of Diane King.
Read below or see the original article here.
Vancouver theatre, film and TV actor adds singer to his resume
By Stuart Derdeyn
Rickie Wang. Photo: SAMARA
Troublemaker is the debut single from 12-year-old Vancouver artist Rickie Wang. The hooky tune is a crisp slice of contemporary pop that sounds like it came from a much older and experienced artist. Wang’s Spotify account has nearly 19,000 subscribers and the song has 20,000-plus hits and counting.
Those are solid numbers for a debut. But Wang is already a seasoned pro.
The St. George’s student last appeared in the pages of The Vancouver Sun when he starred as Tiny Tim in the Arts Club Theatre production of Dolly Parton’s Smoky Mountain Christmas Carol four years ago in 2021. This wasn’t Wang’s first professional gig. He also appeared in a version of Oliver at the Gateway Theatre, which was recommended by theatre critic Jerry Wasserman.
Rickie Wang and Lucas Gregory star in Lionel Bart’s Oliver at the Gateway Theatre. Photo: David Cooper
Wang was signed to da Costa Talent Management agency in Grade 5 and his resumé includes voicing the character of Min in Heroes of the Golden Mask alongside Canadian acting legend Christopher Plummer, and appearing on CBC Kids Gumboot Kids and winning three first-place awards at the Junior Voice Competition at the Kiwanis Music Festival in 2022.
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Trained under VSO School of Music voice teacher Diane King, the young soprano is already a member of UBCP/ACTRA acting unions. A multi-instrumentalist on guitar, piano and turntables, he talked about his new single on his way to Italy from Nice, France, where his Grade 7 class is on its graduation trip.
Q: When did you first discover an interest in singing and songwriting?
A: I was obsessed with listening to music right from being a baby and, as I grew much older, started developing my interest learning piano and guitar. My very first chord learned on guitar was C major. From there I wrote my first song, titled Sweet Night. I have around 20 songs now.
Q: What instruments did you play for Troublemaker?
A: I played keyboard and guitar and a very little amount of drums for the song. I have a home studio where I record my ideas. Aside from school, I devote most of my time to creating music as it is my main passion outside of academics.
Q: Do you have a goal in mind with releasing this single?
A: I think most songs are either for adults or very young kids and I really wanted to write something that was for teens my age. It’s kind of my way to celebrate being a rule breaker and a rule changer. Sometimes, you have to make a little mischief to have a little fun and the song is all about having fun. I used Runway with ChatGPT to design the cover art and video.
Q: Troublemaker is a contemporary pop track, but you have classical music chops as well, don’t you?
A: In Grade 4, I had the pleasure to perform with the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra, singing a song that accompanied a screening of the film the Snowman. Right now, I’m not doing any vocal training since I’m pretty busy promoting my songs and acting.
Q: Do you have any cool acting roles coming up in the future?
A: I’ve booked a few major roles that I can’t discuss right now because of NDAs (non-disclosure agreements), but I can tell you that one is coming on Netflix. And I have also got a movie coming this summer. I started auditioning for musical theatre at age nine. The Tiny Tim role at the Arts Club was my first time doing a musical and I thought it was really cool.